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JohnHenson

John Henson (May 2013).

John Henson Sweetums

Henson in partial Sweetums costume at The Muppet Show Live in 2001.

Johnhenson-songof10

Henson in Sesame Street's "Ten Song" (1969).

John Paul Henson (April 25, 1965 - February 14, 2014)[1] was a performer, craftsman and co-owner of The Jim Henson Company. He was the fourth of Jim and Jane Henson's children.

As a child, Henson appeared in his father's Numerosity films for Sesame Street as a boy showcasing "10 bells" and in the film "Memories" for Bufferin as the narrator's son. Henson told biographer Brian Jay Jones that he was "a strange kid" with "an endless energy." According to Henson, "if you look at the old home movies, everyone's around and ever once in a while you'd see this little blond blur just careen through the frame; that was me. I was just always going―and the faster the better."[2]

In an October 1987 interview with the Washington Post, Jim Henson spoke of his children and their work within the company; of John, Henson said: "John, the second youngest, does some work with us in New York, performing some of the big characters we do, such as Sweetums."

By the late 1980s, Henson had taken over performing the body suit puppetry for Sweetums as Richard Hunt had become physically unable to do so. Hunt continued performing the dialogue for Sweetums until his passing in 1992, after which Henson took over the character completely. Henson performed the part in Muppet*Vision 3D, with the dialogue looped by Hunt. In appearances after Hunt's death, such as the featured role in Muppet Treasure Island, Henson supplied both the puppetry and the voice. Henson was the primary performer of Sweetums for over a decade; his last performance of the character was for The Muppets' Wizard of Oz in 2005. The character has since transitioned to other performers.

In addition to his performances in television and film projects, Henson made live appearances as Sweetums for a number of events, including: a 1992 musical tribute to Jim Henson at the Lincoln Center in Armonk, New York; throughout the MuppetFest weekend in 2001; and at the unveiling ceremony for Kermit the Frog's star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. Henson also made appearances in the original Coca-Cola Polar Bear suit built by the Creature Shop for a Coca-Cola public relations tours, which sometimes involved the bear sledding and skiing.

Henson passed away on February 14, 2014; the Henson Company released the following statement:

"It is with great sadness that we confirm that John Henson, son of Jim and Jane Henson and brother to Lisa, Cheryl, Brian and Heather, died at age 48 of a sudden massive heart attack on Friday, February 14, while at home with his daughter. John served as a shareholder and board member of The Jim Henson Company. He leaves two daughters, Katrina (15) and Sydney (10) and his wife Gyongyi. A private service is being planned."[3]

Credits

Sculptures

In the early 1980s, Henson, along with John Kahn, built "The Great Hot Air Balloon Circus" to decorate the spiral staircase of the townhouse where the company was headquartered at the time. The large hanging sculpture began in the lobby at the base of the spiral staircase and continued up to the fourth floor. It consists of wire, wood, and metal, as well as PVC figures of the Muppets. The sculpture later went on display between the first and second floors of the flagship World of Disney store on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 2004. It remained there until the store closed; its current whereabouts are unknown.

Another of his sculptures welcomes visitors to the company's current New York offices. Made of brass and other metallic, moving parts, the piece was based on one of his father's own sketches.

Gallery

Notes

  • John Henson served as location manager and set designer for the 2008 short film Museum Scandals, and was an executive producer of the 2011 independent film Whisper Me a Lullaby. Both of the films were produced by, and star, Henson's wife Gyongyi. Henson's eldest daughter, Katrina, also appeared in Whisper Me a Lullaby.

Sources

See also

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